Jewell and The Dapper Dan
June 5, 2012
When I first encountered Keith Thomas Walker at the 2012 Romance Slam Jam I was curious about all the buzz surrounding him. Having now read only one of his 7 books with two more due out this year it’s all been made clear. Keith Thomas Walker is a rare writer with a remarkable talent. Jewell and The Dapper Dan could be described as a modern day Bonnie and Clyde with a Black ghetto twist. It’s a tale chocked with romantic intrigue and gripping suspense woven through a riveting plot. The titled characters Jewell and her Dapper Dan are so skillfully drawn they jump off the page. In a setting where violence is a matter of fact first response the in your face blatantly aggressive and provocative behavior is real and unsettling. With few admirable qualities the dynamic duo are exquisitely sensuous and titillating. Keith Thomas Walker has done an exceptional job creating real believable–even lovable–characters.
Jewell is a gangster moll with a conscience, compassion and empathy, but beware she can flip in a spilt second. She’s able to care for her ailing mother and won’t hesitate to smack a poorly performing nurse. Jewell’s attempt to aide her recovering addict brother by bringing him into the syndicate backfires doing him more harm than good. Her disdain for her overly pious sister devoted to her children and her near do well deacon-husband seems all too real. Jewell is at times loyal to a fault but a chameleon able to rise to just about any occasion assuming any role in any circumstance. Her striking good looks and figure cause men drunk with desire to fall prey and defenseless.
Dapper Dan is a hardened, cold focused and skilled criminal who regards himself as a genius. He rises from a pimp to an accomplished syndicate boss racking up one successful robbery after another all due to his brilliant planning. He plans a final job a huge diamond heist that will end his criminal career enabling the couple to settle down to a normal family life. Despite the obstacles and the gang’s resistance he pushes them forward undeterred with his eye on the prize believing in his own genius. But trust becomes an issue and who can you trust? Our gangsters prove the old adage there is no honor among thieves.
Dapper Dan’s blinded by greed and vanity leading his gang of thieves at a time when their allegiance is worn by his questionable judgment influenced by Jewell’s love. In the end the lesson is crime doesn’t pay–at least not for the crime boss. There are a host of minor characters the reader will find compelling particularly the furniture magnate Percy Hamilton and his gold digging houchies who prove no match for Jewell.
Keith Thomas Walker writes with a rare authenticity. Jewell and The Dapper Dan deserves nothing less than 5 stars.
Guilty: The Trials of Phil Ferguson by Sean Russell
May 16, 2012
If you like books where the villain gets properly screwed in the end then Sean Russell’s Guilty is for you. This endorsement is not intended as a spoiler but a warning that the read is a journey well worth traveling to that end. Sean Russell’s debut novel is set in his native Barbados. It’s the story of Phil Ferguson a happily married attorney who seems to have it all, and that’s a problem. Phil Ferguson’s nemesis Jimmy Cadogan is use to having what he wants, and he wants Ferguson’s wife and the family business’s lucrative contracts. Jimmy Cadogan is no ordinary villain but a despicable larger than life character that goes to no end to achieve his purpose. He anchors his great yacht in the harbor where nightly orgies play out. His personal character is as reprehensible as his undesirable looks. Jimmy Cadogan, gets his comeuppance in the end both literally and figuratively.
Sean Russell skillfully paints a picture of island life with a supporting cast of quirky characters. However the reader learns quickly all is not well in paradise when the enraged Phil Ferguson discovers his wife Jade’s infidelity and seeks out counsel from his livelong friend Teddy, a somewhat bohemian islander living a self sufficient lifestyle. Teddy is a loyal friend ready to go to battle for Phil and has on more than one occasion saved Phil from making life possible catastrophic mistakes. Tit for tat in a scheme orchestrated by Cadogan, enter the beautiful international haute couture runway model Amanda Calendar leaving Phil Ferguson to contend with his own infidelity. Guyanese born and of modest means Amanda Callender makes the best of her beauty using it to climb to fame and fortune while exerting her feminine wiles to control men. She also learned how to protect herself from the very same men. Except one man, Phil Ferguson becomes her weakness leaving her in his presence defenseless and unable to resist their mutual longing and lustful urges for which there are consequences.
There are a host of other compelling characters like Phil’s doting father applying every means possible to help his son. There is a good cop Detective Mobert Clarke whose efforts to get to the bottom of things are thwarted by bad cop Detective “Pastor” Seale. And then there is Jackie, Amanda’s beautiful model friend who makes a late cameo appearance showing up in Barbados packing a hidden weapon that unravels all of Jimmy Cadogan’s best laid plans. The ending is shocking, unsettling and almost incompressible. No doubt that’s Sean Russell’s plan setting the reader up for more Phil Russell and Jimmy Cadogan capers.
In Guilty Cadogan gets his just deserts which may amount to nothing more than a mere set back. We are left with the expectation that the defeated Jimmy Cadogan will rise again. Guilty is a delightful read that will leave you wanting more. Five stars.
Romance Slam Jam Author Interviews Part 3
May 3, 2012
Romance Slam Jam Interviews with Deatri King-Bey, Jae Henderson, Kianna Alexander (Alexander Kane), B.A. Binns, Ann Clay, Yahrah St. John, A’ndrea Wilson, and Earl Sewell.
Romance Slam Jam Author Interviews Part 2
May 1, 2012
Author interviews with Marilyn Tyner, Denise Jeffries, Keith Thomas Walker, Koko Brown, Farrah Rochon, Rhonda McKnight, Sean Russell, Alice Wootson
Romance Slam Jam Author Interviews Part I
April 23, 2012
Beverly Jenkins, Chanta Rand, Deborah Fletcher Mello, Evelyn Palfrey, Iris Bolling, Laura Parker Castoro, Wayne Jordan, Pamela Samuels Young
